


Departure

by GrilledBeer



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Nakamaship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 05:37:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4654347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrilledBeer/pseuds/GrilledBeer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanji left to join a different crew with a smile on his face. Soon after, the Straw Hats found that the cook's departure might not be as innocent as it seemed. Would this have anything to do with the attack on the Baratie three weeks before, Sanji's mysterious new captain, or the replacement cook that they brought onboard? Would they ever see Sanji again?</p><p>Pre-timeskip, Sanji-centric-ish. Written before the Vinsmokes begin the exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dinner that night was exceptional. The food was made from the top ingredients that Sanji usually reserved for feasts; the menu was varied, with at least one dish that everyone liked, from assorted onigiris to pasta, from fish prepared with different methods to, of course, meat; dessert was of a premium selection, featuring all kind of cakes, delicacies made from Nami’s tangerines and plenty of cotton candy. Drink was not wanting, and Sanji went as far as opening his best barrels and bottles. One might think it was a special occasion, and it actually was.

Late into the night when everyone was well-fed and well-drunk, Sanji announced something stunning at the table.

“Everyone, I’m leaving this ship tomorrow.”

His intention was plain and clear. Sanji said it with as neutral an expression as when he was commenting about the weather. He put a cigarette between his thin lips. All eyes turned to him, some amused, some perplexed, and some shocked.

“Now, now, Sanji-kun, have you finally decided to run off and live with an imaginary wife?” Usopp, who was half sober, piped up and put an arm around Sanji’s shoulder.

“Yohohoho! Sanji-san, do you mind giving me a peep at your future wife?” Brook chimed in, his skeletal hand on Sanji’s other shoulder.

Some were more suspicious. Nami said with an uncertain voice, her beautiful brows knitted slightly, “What do you mean, Sanji-kun? Do you need to go to town again? We just went shopping today.”

The others had fallen silent and waited for him to say more. Sanji clarified, dripping love for his beautiful Nami-san, “I want to spend the rest of my life by your side, Nami-san, but I can’t. I’ll leave tomorrow. Everyone, thanks for having me.”

Sanji turned and looked at Luffy, quietly asking for permission. The raven-haired captain had his straw hat on, and it cast a shadow on his eyes. He was silent. When a minute passed, he only uttered one word without looking up, “Why?”

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, before realizing that it was unlit. He chew on it absently, “I know it’s sudden, but I found a ship I want to board today. They’ve got famous chefs among the crew and they have a lot to say about the All Blue, though nobody’s been there. I’m sure it’ll be fun and meaningful. Not gonna say that you are not, though.”

“Are you sure, Sanji? This ship will definitely take you to the All Blue one day! Just hang around for a bit, bro.” Franky said and put down his cola with a thunk. He seemed bothered, his round eyes fixed on Sanji.

“He’s right, Sanji-kun. With my navigational skills, I’ll take us there. I’ll even do it free of charge! Luffy, don’t let him go!” Nami said hurriedly. That she was troubled was apparent.

“Nami-san has finally decided to proclaim her love for me! My heart is bursting with happiness!”

“If you go, who will make me cotton candy! Please stay, Sanji!” Chopper was sweating, and Usopp, realizing that this was no joke, nodded frantically.

Luffy considered this without meeting everyone’s lingering eyes. They were anxious to know what decision he’d make. It was an important decision, and it did not concern him alone. Zoro and Robin kept quiet by his side, the former chugging down his ale, while the latter put her champagne glass on the table and waited.

As captain, Luffy had experiences with leaving crew mates. Everyone left them at least once: first was Nami with the trouble with Arlong; at some point Usopp had fought with them about the Going Merry; Robin walked out on them with the CP9; she and Chopper had been taken at the Davy Back Fight and would have remained there if they had not won them back; Brook walked out on them right after they dined together before Thriller Bark. Luffy was quite used to people deciding to go, but none was like this. This was Sanji’s decision. This was not ugly like Nami, Usopp or Robin. He finally looked up.

“Is this what you want?” Luffy’s expression was unreadable. Sanji gulped.

“Of course. Who else would want me to leave?”

Luffy didn’t let him go with that. “Answer me, Sanji. Is this really what _you_ want?”

Sanji tried to hold his captain’s gaze. “Yes, Luffy. This is what I want.”

Everyone held their breath. Luffy looked around the table.

Finally, he spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness. “Fine. I’m letting you go on that condition.”

He paused. The others held their breath.

“But promise us one thing,” Luffy said in an even voice and looked at his cook in the eyes. Sanji nodded and felt sweat roll down his temple. The crew inhaled in unison. Then Luffy’s mouth formed a big, toothy grin.

“That you’ll have fun!”

Everyone look at the boy captain in shock, even Sanji himself.

“Luffy!” Nami exclaimed.

“What? Sanji said he wanted to go.”

“But, but…” Chopper stammered with teary eyes.

“It’s okay! Sanji said that was what he wanted, right, Sanji?” Luffy turned to him and flashed the brightest of brightest smile.

Tears welled up in Sanji’s eyes, but he brushed it away with the sleeves of his shirt. He croaked, “Yes! I will have fun! I promise!”

Robbin smiled at him warmly.

“Let’s drink! Drink!!!”

“Cheers!”

The others joined in, and they toasted for Sanji’s departure. Sanji smiled throughout the dinner-turned-party. More barrels were opened, and when Usopp and Franky’s shock finally washed off, they shed a pool of tears.

“I’ll miss you, Sanji!”

“Yeah bro, you’re suuuuuuuper!”

“And you guys are sappy!” Sanji tried to fend them away from hugging him.

“Saaaanji, I’ll miss the meat you cook. You are the best” Luffy was on the verge of crying. He rolled his rubbery hand around Sanji’s body in a coil of hug. Now he looked like he wanted to change his mind about letting Sanji go.

“I’ll be sure to leave a lot!”

“A lot is not enough!”

“Sanji-kun, will we get to see each other again?” Nami said to the cook with an uneven voice, as if she was on the verge of tears. They were one of the first to join Luffy’s crew; despite all the flirting and head-whacking, they felt really close.

“Of course, my Mellorine! I’ll see you every day in my dream!”

“That’s dirty!” Nami prepared to bash his skull again, then lowered her hand. “Geez, I can’t even bring myself to hit you on your last night.”

“But Nami’s right, Cook-san. Perhaps we’ll run into each other again in the future. If you hang around the Grand Line, I am sure we will see each other some day!”

“Robin-chwan wants to see me again! I - I can’t, this is too much.” The cook was about to break down.

“Sanjiiii! Don’t forget us!” Chopper was crying and hugging him on the head, which blocked the whole field of his vision.

“I won’t, I won’t! Let go, Chopper!”

“This is so sudden, I’m not ready for this!” The long-nosed joined in and threw himself at Sanji, making him stumble and bump into something. When the blond cook managed to disentangle himself from limps, he noticed that that something was actually a gruff swordsman. The latter only scoffed and turned his head away.

It was a sad and fun goodbye. They were still joking and making fun of each other. Choppers, Brook, Franky and Usopp ended up crying buckets of tears. Sanji was deeply touched when even his Nami-san smiled sadly at him but did not attempt to make him change his mind after Luffy’s decision, and Robin privately said farewell to him.

Zoro looked at this scene with detachment. He didn’t open his mouth even after the guys passed out drunk and the girls excused themselves for the night. Together they put the others to bed. Sanji went back to the kitchen to clean up and pack. The swordsman followed him.

“Are you giving up on your dream?” Zoro’s voice was flat. Sanji got a hint that this was one of their rare serious talks, so he answered quietly.

“Who would do that?”

“Do you want to realize that dream with another crew?” Zoro’s remark made perfect sense. Sanji turned his back to the green-haired and green-clad figure and tried to evade the question.

“It doesn’t matter to me, as long as I get to do it. But all this time with you guys has been fun.” That was as close a thank you as he’d give to Zoro. The swordsman was unrelentless, though.

“Luffy’s going to be king of the pirates. Do you really not know what that means? If any ship can take you to that sea, this one will be the first!”

In response to that firm statement, Sanji refused the urge to tease with ‘you’re just going miss me’ or ‘I don’t need your permission to leave’. Instead he said softly, “I know. But I’m not going to change my mind.”

That was final. He could feel Zoro’s last gaze on him before the sound of the first mate’s footsteps made it clear that he had left the galley. The swordsman’s last words were: “Don’t die.” To both of them, that meant more than anything. Sanji wiped his eyes harshly, thankful that Zoro’d already left.

Sanji was light-headed himself because of the wine. He performed his last duty as the cook of this ship. He cooked their breakfast and a lot of meat on the bone for Luffy, cleaned the entire galley of the mess left from the party and double checked to make sure that he’d wiped the table and seats clean. Looking into the fridge, he was satisfied that there was enough supply to last them a long time before they had to stock up again, even with the pit of Luffy’s stomach, and hopefully they’d have been able to find a new cook by that time. He added a final touch, as he did with his every food creation, by arranging the utensils neatly on the rack so that whoever used it next knew what items went where. He set breakfast on the counter and covered it so it’d still be fresh in the morning.

Next he started to pack his stuff. He brought out his battered knife case that he’d carried with him when he left the Baratie out of a cupboard and laid his knives inside one by one. Knives were a cook’s life. He treasured these knives for they were the first set that he bought with the money he’d earned at the restaurant, and they held precious memories. It was different with his apron, though. The Doskoi Panda pink apron was a gift from the shitty old man. Each item from that East Blue designer brand was incredibly expensive, but the shitty old man bought it anyway because he had wanted to get him something extraordinary. The geezer chose pink to piss him off, though. This he folded neatly and put on top of his knife case. He grabbed his recipe book and journal, but decided to leave the cookbooks behind.

He opened the galley door to find that a bag of money had been placed on the railing right in front of him. It was clear that it was meant for him. Nami-san was very considerate to leave him money, and Sanji was deeply grateful. He picked the bag up and found that it was a solid sum: enough to get him to wherever he wanted. He solemnly put Nami’s farewell gift in his suitcase. He felt like crying but he held it back.

He creeped into the men’s bunk room soundlessly and took out his clothes. Everyone was snoring. Zoro was nowhere to be seen, though Sanji assumed he was in the crow’s nest. He packed in silence. By the time he was finished the sky was tinged with rosy light.

Sanji was reminded of the time when he left the Baratie: it was both similar to and different from the present. He remembered walking around and spending time by himself in the floating restaurant, cherishing every moment and trying to engrave it to his memory before following Luffy out to the sea. It was similar in the sense that he was trying to remember every little detail of the ship, but different in that he’d not linger or loiter around. This time he’d not look back. He lit a cigarette and puffed.

When Sanji stepped out onto the lawn deck, the newborn sun just appeared at the eastern horizon, casting a pink radiance on everything. It touched Sanji’s light-colored hair and dyed it rose gold. The morning breeze caught it and played with in gently. It was a spring island so the climate was very agreeable. His black suit absorbed the light and made his fair skin appear paler. He carried his knife case and suitcase in one hand and held a cigarette loosely in the other. Under his arm was a three-week old newsletter that was folded in half. There was a picture that showed a floating establishment with a big figurehead shaped like a fish. It was burning.

Sanji headed to the starboard and looked down. Below stood a figure that he knew would be waiting for him. The man was tall but muscular; his jaw was set and his complexions dark. He was dressed in a long black jacket and pants, and had a white scarf around his neck. The man could pass for a common person, but if one looked at him closely, one would find that his appearance was quite deceptive, for he emitted a menacing and commanding aura.

“You’re early.” Sanji remarked nonplussed. He jumped down to the dock, leaving the Thousand Sunny that had been his home for a significant while behind without a look back. The man smiled but it did not reach his eyes.

“We’re excited to have you.”

The tall man began to walk away. Sanji followed slightly behind. He made as if to turn back, then straightened his back and fell in step with the leading man. He felt like crying again, but it was not time, and there was no way he was going to cry in front of this man.

Zoro watched this scene from the crow’s nest. A disembodied blue eye disappeared with a pop and flower petals from one of the planks along the starboard. Luffy opened the hatch sleepily and pushed his head out. He looked at the retreating backs of the two dark shadows.

“Goodbye, Sanji.”

 

“You let him go pretty easily.”

“Sanji’s determined. No matter what I said, he’d be leaving.”

“Still. We all know better than to let those half-assed excuses convince us. We should have forced him to come out with everything.”

“It’s okay, Zoro. He’d have fought us and left anyway if we tried to stop him, and you know that. It’s just like Sanji to do it civilly.”

“He’s too soft.”

“Hee hee hee. But remember what I said? I asked him if it was what he wanted. I let him go on that condition.”

“So if he lied…”

“If he didn’t go because he wanted to and is not having fun, then the deal’s off.”

“I see. That’s what you have in mind all along.”

“Hee hee hee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and One Piece belong to E. Oda & team.


	2. Chapter 2

_Three weeks prior._

They had agreed to subscribe to the monthly East Blue Courier to still get news from home. The first members of the crew were from there after all.

One morning the newsletter arrived by the air-post and Sanji was the one to receive it. After preparing breakfast, the cook spent the few minute break thumbing through the pages. Everything appeared relatively normal: a subtle rise in cooking gas price, the cabbage season, a birthday celebration of the chief of an island, an incident in Loguetown. He was about to flip it close and call the others to breakfast when he came across a curious article.

The accompanying picture showed an establishment with a figure that looked like a fish. This place seemed familiar, and Sanji would have recognized it at a first glance if not for the fire and smoke that colored the picture a shade darker. It was the picture of the Baratie, the floating restaurant where he used to work and live, and whose birth he witnessed with his own eyes. The headline read: FAMOUS FLOATING RESTAURANT UNDER SURPRISE PIRATE ATTACK, SUSTAINING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. He felt a cold dread in his spine, and went through the text immediately.

The news told that a fight broke out the day before after the pirates from a ship, the White Castle, under captain Kenyon, had eaten and refused payment, claiming that the food was awful and overpriced. In the aftermath, the building was burned and both parties sustained injury. The pirates departed unpunished and left the staff to themselves. The last part of the article asked people to watch out for pirates, which was a usual closing for pirate news. It was a small piece of article, and the news itself did not sound too alarming. This kind of fight happened at the Baratie all the time: they were pirate cooks after all. At first Sanji was pissed: those shitty chefs let third-rate pirates did such a number on them again? What was the shitty old man doing? That geezer must be getting too old indeed.

But somehow Sanji felt unsettled, because their petty fights had never made it to the local press before, nor had the Baratie been completely defeated. Even if they were a good-for-nothing, mannerless pack of savages, he was confident that they could easily hold their own against whatever trouble thrown at them. The news created in him a sense of foreboding that something bigger was at work. However, when his crew mates pointed this article out to him, he simply told them that yes, he’d read it, and no, it was just a routine fight. He did not want to talk about his concern. It could have been only his feeling, and in that case there was no need to trouble them at all.

 

 

_The previous day._

They dropped anchor at a port to do their routine stock up. It was a medium-sized town, small enough to be thoroughly explored in an afternoon, but big enough to have everything each of them needed. The crew went their separate ways, as usual. Zoro who normally didn’t need to get anything in particular, except for booze, was left to mind the ship.

Sanji wandered to the other side of the town, where the fishing port was located. He checked out the fish market and found a wide selection of fresh fish and seafood. He was starting to enjoy himself when he turned around and saw an unusual ship at the dock.

This ship was proportionate to the Thousand Sunny. What made it extremely unusual, however, was that it was completely white. Sanji had seen plenty of curious ships throughout his journey, like the one with open-air bathtubs on deck, the one with a banana groove and the others with all kind of imaginative constructions, but this one was the strangest in the sense that the white substance could not be wood. In fact, the ship actually looked like it was made of bones. But it was unimaginable how one could gather enough bones to make such a large ship. The cabin was shaped like a castle too. Franky would surely want to see this.

But a thought stuck him first: a white castle. _The_ White Castle. That had to be the pirate ship that had attacked the Baratie. As coincidence would have it, the ship managed to travel from the East Blue into the Grand Line within the period of only three weeks. He asked the owner of the fish stall to hang on to his purchase for him and made his way toward the ship. Now that he knew what to look for, he spotted the pirate flag that had been lowered so as not to scream ‘pirates’: the sheet was white, with a black skull and black crossed bones, just like the inversion of a normal flag.

The problems back at the Baratie were not his concerns, but he could not help cracking a skull or two: the attackers were right in front of him after all.

He lit a cigarette and entered the ship by the port. The cook used this chance to inspect the creamy white substance: it surely was bone, or something that looked like it. A bone cannot be as thick and tall as a mast, after all. Unlike bones, however, the thing that made up the ship was not solid but hollow, which had to be the reason why the ship was buoyant. These were either the bones of some animals that he had never encountered before, or a substance that was fabricated. This really piqued Sanji’s curiosity.

Sanji kicked the first few unarmed guys on deck down and made his way to the castle-cabin. The pirates did not have any special skills to boot, which made it easy for him to take them down.

“Really? This bunch of weaklings defeated those chefs?”

Inside he delivered a round-house kick to the guys that came at him. He heard calls and bellows from deck and knew that more people were being summoned from below to take care of the intruder, read: himself. He fought his way in, kicking and dodging. The crew was weak and when they had been kicked down, they stayed down. Sanji patiently took them out one by one, even though it became more and more boring. He blew out a puff of smoke.

“Finally.”

When no more people launched themselves at him, he walked down the hallway toward what looked like the captain’s cabin. He unceremoniously kicked down the door. In the center of the room was a stunted but thick man, arms crossed at his chest, ready to finish off the intruder.

“Hiding from the fight, captain Kenyon?” The man eyed him silently. He looked like he was in for a fight.

“Don’t be stupid. Your whole crew could not end me: what makes you think that you can all by yourself?” Sanji sneered. He was telling the truth: the whole crew was not even that strong. If he could take them down by himself, there was no reason for the guys at the Baratie to not be able to. This really puzzled him, and for a second he thought he had just kicked the hell out of the wrong ship.

Captain Kenyon refused to open his mouth and came at the intruder in a black suit, but he was not fast enough. Sanji let out a breath and gave him one in the flank, one in the back, and finally one in the skull. The man fell to the floor and got up again like nothing happened. Kenyon threw his body at the intruder again, one hand extended to grab at the thin neck, but when it came to speed, nobody beat Sanji. The cook swept his opponent's legs and brought him down to the floor. He followed with a hard kick to the spine. This time Kenyon stayed down. He stammered, “Who…who are you?”

“Someone who belongs to that restaurant you destroyed a few weeks back. Now eat this: the true pride of the cooks of the sea!!!” Sanji raised his heel, preparing to dish out his finishing blow to the man’s skull.

“You! You are…”

Without waiting for the man to finish, Sanji dug his heel to the man’s head without holding back. To his surprise, it did not break nor give. The impact just sent the man out cold.

“That should teach you to know better than to dine and ditch, moron! And don’t tell people their food’s awful even if it is!!!”

Sanji lit the last cigarette in his pack and took a calming drag. He returned to the deck and looked around him, mulling the facts over. This definitely was the White Castle, there was no mistaking it; and this was also the crew who had defeated the guys at the Baratie. But it didn’t make any sense. The pirates were third-rate, and captain Kenyon wasn’t exceptional himself. Maybe those guys were getting really lousy?

 

On his way back, Sanji felt hungry after all the exertion and stopped by a bistro to get a taste of the local specialty and beverage. The main course was steamed fish that was green-tinted and ugly, which somehow reminded him of Zoro that he sniggered out loud. Its texture was unexpectedly tough and it tasted quite like pork. The drink was made of coconut milk infused with local berries and liquor, which went really well with the fish. A guy plopped down next to him at the bar and ordered a drink as the blond cook was firing questions about the recipe to the chef.

“How long does it take for the milk to absorb the flavor from the berries? You’re a tropical island, so the heat must spoil the milk very quickly.”

“That’s very insightful. You’re right: the milk spoils fast, so in order to make the coconut milk last long enough for the berries to release their flavor and scent, we put this special liquor in to help preserve it.”

The chef showed him a glass bottle filled with yellow liquid. He unscrewed the lid and offered it to Sanji to take a sniff. It smelled pungent. He must have made a face because the chef laughed.

“Unripe corn.”

“Oh.”

When the chef turned to put the bottle back on shelf, the stranger on Sanji’s right opened his mouth.

“You know a lot. Are you a cook or something?”

Sanji spared him a glance and put him in the ‘harmless’ category. The man was in his thirties, tall and strongly-built. His jaw was angular and his arms long, but his skin was not tanned. Someone who did physical work indoor, Sanji guessed.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m actually looking for one. Our cook just…left a few days ago.”

“Sounds like he had an unpleasant work environment.”

The man’s eyes grew dark. “You think?”

Sanji pulled some bills out of his pocket and put them on the counter. The cook donned his jacket and made to leave the place. “If you’re offering a job: no thanks. I don’t plan to quit my current one soon.”

“You can’t be so sure about that.”

That was the first sign that alarmed Sanji. When the man got up and followed him out, that was the second. He considered the man one more time, and found that he’d been too quick to judge him harmless. This man appeared to be humble at a first glace, but the way he spoke and carried himself reeked of authority; someone who was used to commanding and having his way with things. Sanji was instantly on his guard. The man motioned for Sanji to follow him into a dark alley. The blond cook thought it wise to comply: he didn’t want to reveal his identity were a fight to break out, because that would compel them to run from this island, and he didn’t know what tricks the tall man had up his sleeves.

When in the secluded area, the man said evenly, but with an undertone of triumph.

“We have him.”

“Who!?”

“They didn’t mention that ‘a hostage’ had been taken by the pirates.”

Sanji thought about the local rumor that the waiter had just told him at the eatery. It was about the boy who had ran off to become a pirate. The boy’s parents were not too pleased and declared that the pirates’d taken him hostage instead of admitting their child’s action.

“Yeah, I’ve heard the gossip.”

“I’m talking about the pirates attack at the Baratie!”

“Oh, that. Wait — what!?”

That was the last thing he had expected to hear, and Sanji was having a hard time trying to keep his eyes from popping. The tall man put on an air of superiority when he’d revealed this news to the blond cook.

“I have no idea how you learn about the Baratie, but what did you do to this person you’ve taken hostage?”

“We didn’t do anything. But we will.”

“Where is he?”

“Near at hand”

“You’re making this up, aren’t you?”

Sanji looked at him skeptically and scratched his head. He was not getting anywhere talking to this guy. The tall man was intimidating, but he’d met a bunch of intimidating loonies before. He decided to adopt a more direct approach.

“Alright, let me try again: what do you want?”

The man smile’s was self-gratifying. “For you to join my crew. I’m Kenyon. You’ve been to my ship. My friends have a lot to say about you.”

“You’re bluffing. I just handed captain Kenyon's ass to him. And I already told you that I’m not quitting my job.”

The man let out a long-suffering sigh, like his patience was running out. “I knew you’d say that. Here.” The man who claimed to be the pirate captain Kenyon produced a small cloth bag from his pocket. This he handed to Sanji.

“Open it.”

Sanji did and almost let it fall from his hands: inside the bag was a single braid. The hair was blond, coarse and tied by a piece of cloth at the end. He knew this hair. It was a mustache. Zeff’s mustache.

“We didn’t plan to harm him, but he fought. Besides, I figured that you’d want a proof before you believed anything I said.”

As if reading his thoughts, the tall man explained patronizingly. Sanji paled. So this was Kenyon, the one who had attacked the Baratie. He closed his hand around the braid and tried to stay calm, even if he was burning to shove his foot up this man’s ass.

“I knew your ship’d dock here. I made sure to come and meet you so I can take you with me. What I didn’t expect was that you’d go and take it out on my crew, but that’s alright. I suppose you want to meet him? That can be arranged, Black Leg Sanji.”

There was no way Zeff would let someone cut out his mustache: it was the pride of his life. The shitty old man had to be in trouble. He looked at the braid in his hands.

“Oi, bastard.”

“Made up your mind?”

“Yeah.”

The cook quietly put the mustache in his pocket. Shit, he was out of cigarettes. The man waited for him. Sanji shifted his body weight on his right leg.

“I’LL BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU THEN GO KICK THE OLD MAN'S SHITTY ASS FOR GETTING HIMSELF KIDNAPPED!!!”

Sanji lunged at Kenyon in a black flash. He aimed for his opponent’s throat, to knock him out in one go. To his surprise, the man did not dodge, he took the kick squarely where Sanji meant for it to land without the smallest flinch. Conversely, it was Sanji who winced, as his leg hit something that was very very hard, like steel wall hard. The man smiled the smile that did not reach his eyes.

“I’d agree that that is a good plan, except,” Kenyon brought one hand up to grab Sanji’s calf where it connected. His grip was vice-like. Sanji could sense danger and tried to pull away.

“You won’t be able to do that.” The muscular man threw the cook to the wall. His back hit the brick wall hard and it crumbled. Sanji could now tell that Kenyon was extremely strong, but that was not because of sheer force alone.

“That strength…” Sanji ground out and got to his feet again. He spun his body rapidly to set his left leg ablaze.

“Yes, I am a devil fruit user. I ate the Bone Bone fruit, which allows me to manipulate bones and theirs components. I can strengthen or weaken them at will.” Kenyon stood his ground and opened his arms as if to say that he could take any attack.

“And here I thought I’d use a civilized method to persuade you, since we needed to capture Red Leg anyway. I should have just beaten you up and took you regardless of your will, Black Leg.”

Sanji didn’t lose any time to reply; he lunged at the man with all his might.

“But then your crew would be coming after you, and we don’t want unnecessary troubles…”

“Diablo Jambe!”

The kick connected with Kenyon’s chest and set it on fire, but other than that it caused no damage. The man cooly reached out and placed his hand on Sanji’s neck. The cook felt it twinge and throb. He wanted to pull away but was afraid to.

“That’s a wise move. I’ve made the bones in your neck as brittle as a toothpick. I can easily snap it with one hand.”

Kenyon pressed his steel-hard fingers on Sanji’s throat to emphasize. Sanji felt his skin gave, then the tendons and finally the bones. The pressure cut his air flow and it became difficult to breathe. But even if he was inwardly panicking, he did not let it show. He looked at Kenyon defiantly in the eyes.

“You are a coward. Is this how you ask people to join your crew? No wonder why they’re such a useless bunch of idiots.”

“I wouldn’t say something like that when my life’s at stake.” The fingers pressed harder. He could feel the force of it in his trembling spinal cord. Reinforced fingers alone were enough to break his neck, but with his bones turned fragile, the blow would surely end him. Despite that, Sanji kept a steady gaze on Kenyon, his blue eyes shone in the dark.

“Kill me if you want.”

The man looked and him with dark eyes. It was apparent that Kenyon did not take well to defiance and order. For a second Sanji thought it was the end of him, but the man removed his hand.

Kenyon suppressed his emotion with some effort and said, “Here’s the problem: that’s the last thing I want to do.”

Sanji sucked in air and took a step back, never letting his guard down. He looked at the man wearily and touched the skin on his neck where the man pressed his fingers. It hurt, so he knew it was going to bruise.

“There’s something only you can do. Join my crew if you don’t want it to end ugly.” The man threatened. Sanji recognized something like determination in the man’s eyes, though it was obscured by his ambition. When Kenyon opened his mouth again, a most shocking quest was revealed.

 

Sanji walked back to the ship deep in thought.

The cook had told Kenyon he’d come with him, despite the latter’s lack of finesse in persuasion. Luffy would have easily taken the pirate down. They’d faced stronger people in bigger numbers in worse circumstances. But he was concerned first and foremost about Zeff’s safety. Kenyon had warned the cook not to alert his crew of this. The captain said that if the Straw Hats came after them, he would give the shitty old man trouble.

That gave Sanji one more business to settle: Kenyon had kidnapped Zeff, now he’d threatened him as well. His plan was to rescue the old man’s shitty ass and see what Kenyon’s true color was, then beat him up and leave.

Luffy and the guys were important: they were the people who shared his aspiration of the higher, they were his future. But Zeff was also important to him: the old man was not only his past, but everything that brought him to the present. Without Zeff to go back to, finding the All Blue would be meaningless. Zeff had rescued him when he was in danger: now the old man needed him, so there was no reason not to.

Sanji first thought about asking Luffy for some time off to take care of this business, but in the end he decided against it. He was not someone to do things halfway: Zeff was worth more than his doing things halfway. He did not know how long it’d take. His heart clenched at the thought of leaving his crew and his ship so suddenly, but he shook his head to push that thought away. If it ended well and quick, then that was good. If not, then that was alright, too.

He realized that he’d arrived at his destination only when Usopp called out to him from the deck.

“You’re late, Sanji! Luffy’s been asking for dinner for half an hour now, please do something!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Hey, what happened to your neck?”

Usopp touched the place on his own neck to indicate. That reminded Sanji to button his shirt up to the collar to hide the bruise. He also tightened his tie.

“Got it when I was stretching my legs with some annoying bunch of freaks. Nothing important.”

He was leaving tomorrow at daybreak.

 

“I want you,” Kenyon stressed, “to find the All Blue.”

Sanji’s eyes widened. This was the last thing he’d expected to hear from the pirate.

“Oh,” was all he could say.

Kenyon’s gaze darkened. “If anyone can find that mystical sea, it’s you.”

“What makes you so sure?”

The tall man sniggered. “I just know.”

“Some method of persuasion you’ve used. Who the hell kidnaps the old man and destroys the home of the person they plan to ask a favor from? You’re a scum.” Sanji tried to come up with a plan.

“We took Red Leg Zeff because shared the same dream as you.” Kenyon answered matter-of-factly.

“How do I know you haven’t hurt him?”

“We haven’t.”

“Let me see him.”

“You will; after you join the crew.”

“No, let me see him now.”

Kenyon only smiled. “That’s not possible.”

“You son of a bitch!” Sanji was prepared to shoot a kick at him before he remembered their recent fight.

“What’s you answer?”

Sanji bit his lips. Damn, he wished he’d his cigarettes right now. He thought about Luffy, then he thought about Zeff. The shitty old man was annoying as hell, but he needed to save him. If he got Luffy involved, Kenyon would put him in trouble. That left Sanji no choice: he had to do this on his own.

“...I’ll join your crew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and One Piece belong to E. Oda & team.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, the Straw Hats woke up to find their cook already gone. Breakfast and a pile of meat had been laid out on the counter. Usopp and Chopper, the two guys who had shared something bordering on a brotherly bond with the missing cook, took it especially hard: they started crying as soon as they saw the empty kitchen. Brook spent time with the two to comfort them, though his effort was quite fruitless. Barging into the kitchen, Franky still yelled “Sanji, chilled cola!” out of habit. Nami pretended that everything was normal, though she kept looking out of the window while working on her maps and thought about the daily after-lunch beverage that would no longer be served. However, the others appeared indifferent. Luffy’s eyes turned bright as soon as he saw meat and threw himself to it joyously.

They spent their last day at port strolling around. Zoro and Chopper ended up tagging along with their captain on his quest to find a new cook. Actually, no: they were there to prevent him from doing so. Both had been trying to hold their captain back from inviting every local they came across who seemed relatively out of ordinary to join their journey. Their attempt was vain, and Luffy managed to ran off every time they turned their eyes off him for a second.

“Wow, that’s so cool! Do you want to join my crew!?” The raven-haired, straw-hatted boy was awestruck by the show of light-speed fish-slicing made by a man who had his back to them. The man turned around and the pirates saw that he was very old and missing all his teeth.

“Not him!!!” The swordsman dragged Luffy away while the resident doctor hurriedly apologized to the old man in their captain’s stead.

“We’re very sorry, sir! Please ignore what he just said.”

Then there came the lady with a shark-like smile and who wore putrid perfume.

“Hey you, join my crew!”

“Out of the question!!!”

A tiger that walked upright.

“Tiger! Join—”

The tiger bore his fangs and growled at them.

“Luffy, no!!!”

The Straw Hats took to their feet with the angry tiger at their heels. They rounded a corner and plunged into a back street where not many people were around, but they had somehow managed to lose their fanged pursuer. There the three pirates fell to their knees, catching their breath.

Chopper whined, “That was so scary! He kept saying ‘yummy humans, yummy humans’ that I thought he’d have us for sure! Luffy, don’t invite big animals to join our crew!”

Luffy was grinning. He seemed to enjoy the run more than feel intimidated by the possible danger, which was always the case. The young captain patted the reindeer on the hat. “Chopper, you are a big animal too!”

“No! I mean, yes — but…”

“Hey captain, I don’t think we need to find a new nakama right away.” The green-haired first mate suggested between breaths. Luffy tilted his head to look at Zoro and made a face.

“But we’re one less!”

“We don’t want a tiger for a nakama!” Zoro shouted back, eyes crossed.

“But who’s gonna cook!”

“The tiger definitely won’t!”

“I want to eat meat!”

“Then that’s just great, ‘cause the tiger will eat it up for you!”

“Meat!”

“Nami and Robin can take care of that for now!”

While the two were shouting at each other, Chopper observed them quietly. Somehow, it appeared to the reindeer that the captain and the first mate did not mind Sanji’s leaving at all. They were being their usual raucous selves. The young doctor suddenly felt lonely: these two did not share his loss. He looked at the ground and murmured to himself, sounding affected. “I miss Sanji.”

The boys stopped fighting when they caught Chopper’s words, though they continued to glower at each other, forehead pressed together. The older members of the crew always forgot that their youngest was still a child. The cook’s sudden departure must have been a blow to him. Luffy and Zoro tried to come up with what to say, looking quizzically into each other’s eyes, which were practically next to their own. The reindeer spoke; this time it was directed at both of them.

“You guys don’t think there’s chance he’ll come back, do you?”

Chopper’s voice was unsteady. Luffy put the straw hat back on his head and turned away. Zoro closed his eyes and crossed his arms. He didn’t want to hurt the doctor’s feelings, but he had to point it out — and he was speaking for Luffy as well.

“That guy walked away. It’s already decided.”

So they really didn’t care. Chopper looked crestfallen and hurt. Tears welled up in his eyes, though he managed to keep it in: he had cried enough in the morning. The doctor turned to Luffy, trying to sound positive, though even he himself heard dejection in his voice.

“But if Sanji returns, you will take him back, right?”

Zoro opened his eyes and looked expectantly at Luffy’s back. That was the question they all wanted the answer to. Nothing like this had happened in the past. They had never had to deal with a nakama that had willingly left before. There was a moment of silence. Luffy seemed to be contemplating Chopper’s demand.

Finally, the captain slowly turned to his two nakamas, his face hidden in the shadow of his hat. He voiced his answer.

“It depends.”

The rubber boy met Zoro’s eyes silently. They’d already talked about this so they had had an understanding, but the reindeer did not know about Sanji’s new captain. Chopper, still in the dark, urgently pulled at the hem of Luffy’s jeans and cried desperately.

“But…but! Sanji might change his mind! Maybe he doesn’t like that ship as much as he thought he did! Please, Luffy, say you’ll take him back. You can’t just turn him away like this.” The doctor was on the verge of tears. He bit his lips though he never broke eye contact with Luffy.

Caring for everyone was a doctor’s job. The cook must have been happy had he known that Chopper went out of his ways to risk angering Luffy for his sake. It was a lot of work, being a doctor, Zoro thought to himself.

Gently though firmly, Luffy placed his hand on top of Chopper’s pink hat and smiled, not angered in the least. He understood how the youngest of the crew felt, but he could not just let the matter drop only to pacify the doctor.

“Don’t worry, Chopper. We care about Sanji too, and I speak for all of us. But he has to take responsibility for his own decision.”

Chopper started crying openly, because he trusted his captain. Having said all he needed to say, Luffy turned and walked away. Zoro followed. In passing Chopper, the swordsman mumbled.

“He may be an idiot most of the time, but he knows what he’s in for. There’s no need to worry for him.”

Chopper gulped down his tears. For a second, the doctor almost thought that Luffy and Zoro did not care about Sanji at all, since they their behavior did not betray anything. Now the doctor knew that he had been wrong: Sanji was important to them too. He was not just the cook, but also part of the Monster Trio. He was the force of the crew, and his departure was a great loss to the remaining two. It did not seem like Luffy and Zoro had given up on Sanji. Chopper picked up his pace to catch up with them with a new hope in his heart.

Upon seeing where the green-haired man was heading, however, the doctor screamed in panic, all concerns forgotten.

“Zoro, not that way!!!”

 

They ended up at a small restaurant by the harbor on their way back to the ship. Upon seeing the big sign of meat on the bone at the front, the head of their little party gave up the recruitment completely. He dashed right in, yelling “Meaaaaat!” His two companions could do nothing but follow with obvious resignation.

It was in the middle of the afternoon and the place was empty. This restaurant was small and casual. In fact, it was so small that there was no partition between the kitchen and the dining area. Diners could leisurely observe the preparation while they waited for their meal. The restaurant qualified as a totally ‘normal’ place.

“Welcome! We’ve just hired a new chef, so we’re offering free sample meals. Go ahead and pick whatever you want from the menu!” The elderly woman who seemed to be the owner greeted them at the door.

“Lucky!” Zoro and Chopper exclaimed.

“Meat! Bring me lots, lots of meat!” Luffy shouted happily. Zoro and Chopper, in turn, picked out their food from the menu. It felt strange, for when they had needed to go to a restaurant before, their cook — former cook — would be the one doing the selecting and ordering. A simple task of ordering their own food felt alien to the three pirates. No one voiced their opinion, though.

Though overwhelmed by the large order from such a small party, having already promised free food, the owner eventually relayed their order to the young chef — a lanky man with a slight build. The latter nodded and got down to preparing the food. The pirates noted that there was nothing outstanding about his techniques or presentation, unlike Sanji’s that they had seen everyday. This they also kept to themselves.

When meat was placed in front of the drooling captain, his eyes sparkled. He spat out a quick “Let’s eat!!!” and took a big chunk out of the meat.

Then he froze.

Chopper noticed the sudden change in his captain and said worriedly, placing his hoof on Luffy’s back. “What’s wrong, Luffy? Did you choke on your food again!? Here, this will help wash it down.” He handed him a glass of water.

“Oi, you alright?” The swordsman joined in. He put his glass of beer back on the table with a thunk.

“This…this…” Luffy stammered. Chopper and Zoro leaned in closer, concerns blooming in their chests.

“This… THIS IS SO GOOOOD!!!” The boy yelled and seemed utterly shocked. He brought the meat closer to his eyes as if to inspect it.

“Hah?” Zoro was agape.

“Wah!” The reindeer flinched back from the burst of emotion and tried to hide behind the swordsman. They watched Luffy devour bone after bone of meat voraciously, their own untouched plates completely forgotten.

“‘Ou ‘uys ‘ould dry id doo.” He said between mouthfuls of food.

“What!?”

Luffy swallowed and rushed the words out, not wanting to use his mouth other than chewing the meat. “You guys should try it too! It’s good!” And went back to munching again.

Zoro and Chopper snapped out of their trance. Incredulous, they picked up their respective fork and tentatively scooped up their pasta. They eyed it suspiciously before sending it to their mouths.

“Ough!?”

“Woah!”

Exclamations escaped them. Despite the chef’s obvious lack of flair, the food was actually very good. Even though it was not as good as what they used to have at Sanji’s feasts, it was at the same level of their daily meals. The ingredients were not of the top quality, but that was compensated by the synchronization of flavors and the chef’s attention to details. If Sanji’s food was a creation of genius and artistry, this food was made with careful calculations and practices. They started shoving their food down, following Luffy’s example.

“Hey, you!” As soon as he finished gobbling up the food, Luffy slammed his hands on the table, almost breaking it. He stood up and approached the chef menacingly, his expression murderous. When the young man met Luffy’s eyes for the first time, he was filled with terror.

“What’s wrong, Luffy?” Chopper jumped and dropped the fork he was holding, sending pasta sauce flying everywhere. Zoro only smirked.

The young cook looked at the advancing man with fear and slowly backed away. He was limping and almost fell backward.

“Did… did I do something wrong? Did you not like your food…?” He said meekly. The owner was already hiding behind the counter, trembling, fearing for her life. The expression on Luffy’s face was the same one he put on when he faced each of his several archenemies.

The pirate captain stepped in front of the chef. He took a deep breath and let it all out at once.

“YOU JOIN MY CREW!!!”

The cook let out a squeak and scurried under a table, knocking dirty pots and pans that were in the way. Luffy pursued him, stretching his arm to reach under the table and try to pull the man out by the collar, which the latter resisted by holding onto a table leg for dear life. The Straw Hat captain ended up dragging the man _and_ the table towards himself. It was a sorry sight. Chopper’s jaw dropped and Zoro stared at this open display of cowardice, dumbfounded.

“But…but…”

The young man was shaking. Suddenly, the owner leaped out from behind the counter and dropped to her knees, forgetting the fear of her three unusual customers. She grabbed the young cook by the lapels of his jacket, trying to yank him and the table from Luffy, to no effect, of course, since Luffy’s arm only stretched after her. She ignored it and begged.

“Please don’t take him! I only had him for two days… and his cooking is so good. We could make a name for ourselves in no time with this level of skill! He’s the restaurant’s future!!!”

“Let’s go!!!”

Luffy didn’t even spare her a glance. He grabbed the young man’s wrist and used his other hand to yank the table from the cook in a flash, knocking it on top of the lady. His two companions got up from the table. Luffy’s face broke into a grin as the boy flew through the doors, in the direction of their ship, dragging the young man with him. Even if the man had not limped, he would still have had trouble keeping up with their speed.

“Where…where are you taking me!? Please don’t hurt me!!!”

“Thanks for the food, old lady!”

“Kyaaaa! We’re really sorry!!!”

The owner crumbled to the floor, wide-eyed. They had not only eaten for free, but had also stolen her new chef. After the backs of the four were out of sight, her voice returned and she pushed the table away. Then a realization stuck her, for there was no other explanation that made sense. Her screamed rang out to the street, turning heads.

“PIRATES!!!”

 

“So you just kidnapped a person because he can cook?”

The first thing Nami did after setting sail to get away as rapidly as possible from the madding port town, which had become aware of their presence thanks to the uproar at the restaurant, was to voice her disapproval. Luffy already beaten to a pulp on the lawn deck, she turned her head to Zoro and Chopper, the frown never leaving her pretty face.

“And you two let him do it. I know that Zoro is unreliable, but I thought you had more sense than this, Chopper.”

“Waaaah! Nami, I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” Chopper, who was fussing over Luffy, ran away from her and her murderous aura, dragging the captain with him.

“Hey, who are you calling unreliable?”

“Take him back right now!”

“But Nami! His food was delicious! I want him as our nakama!” Luffy vouched for the young cook and smiled widely. The subject of this discussion was sitting by the mast, hugging his knees, seemingly petrified to suddenly find himself on a pirate ship. He was shaking, though he kept an eye on each pirate. Every member of the crew was gathered around him, curious. Nami glanced at the man and said crossly.

“Hey, you. Do you want to join this idiot’s crew?”

The young man seemed too shaken to be able to talk. He swallowed thickly, though he managed a few words in the end.

“Are — are you gonna hurt me?”

“No. Whether you choose to join or you want out, we’re not going to lay a finger on you. So speak up: tell us what you want.” Nami was just being diplomatic. Though she was not normally averse to anyone joining — provided that they were not weird or dangerous, and this man obviously wasn’t — privately, she hated the fact that they were getting a new cook within less than 24 hours after the former one had left. That thought made her really uncomfortable. She prayed that the man denied Luffy’s offer.

The man seemed scared out of his skin and appeared really lost. He reluctantly asked, as if he was afraid of stepping over the line. “Will you, um, will you protect me then?”

“Protect you from what?” Usopp put in suspiciously. This man was so cowardly that the sniper felt as if he was the king of the pirates in comparison.

“From… my former pirate crew.”

“YOU were a pirate!?” The Straw Hats shouted in unison. Everyone was astonished: this sorry loser was a pirate? The sea sure was wide.

“And why are you hunted: did you do something bad?” Robin asked levelly with a small smile. The man flinched and shook his head vigorously. His face was deathly pale and it looked like he was going to pounce at any second. He did his best to explain, though.

“I just said something my captain didn’t like… He got so mad he tried to kill me. I ran away…”

“Some moody captain you’ve got.” Zoro commented drily from where he was leaning on the railing.

“Well, his loss then, if you’re as good as these guys say you are!” Franky said good-naturedly.

“No, Luffy, I object to his becoming our nakama. I think he’s hiding something.” The long-nosed sniper said, crossing his arms. Usopp was Sanji’s close friend, and the rest of the crew did not doubt that he was feeling defensive.

Nami was still frowning. Something about this man was not right. She turned to look at Luffy. “So captain, what do you say?”

Luffy’s face turned bright with a shining grin. Nami knew what that smile meant. She sighed, pushing her discomfort deep inside.

“Hee hee hee! Sure, we’ll protect you with our lives. Count on it!”

The crew just smiled, except for Usopp who grimaced. They would have cheered and clapped him on the back had the circumstance been different. Brook was the only one who seemed to remember formality. He knelt down in front of the shaking man and held out his skeletal hand, “Nice to meet you. My name is Brook. I’m the musician.”

The man squeaked and hurriedly got up, trying to get as far away from the talking skeleton as possible. One of his leg must have bothered him, because he wobbled and hit something hard. There was a metallic clank.

“Oh, was it my smell? I bathed only two days before. But wait, I can’t emit smell, since I don’t have any flesh, yohohohoho!”

The new cook turned around slowly and realized that what he was leaning on was actually a man with big forearms and blue hair. The latter’s stomach then swung open, revealing a cavity with a few bottles stored inside. The man screamed and tried to get away for the second time.

“Name’s Franky. I just wanted to give you a welcome cola. Sure you don’t want it, bro?”

“So what’s your name?” Nami asked, almost challenging herself to be nice. “I’m Nami, the navigator.” She added. The man looked to her. Though still unprepared for the peculiarity of his new crew mates, he answered her as politely as he could.

“My name’s Rembault.”

“Che, I don’t care. I’ll just call you Replacement.” Usopp huffed, apparently still unappeased.

Chopper approached Rembault cautiously. The doctor introduced Usopp and himself, then pointed to the man’s left leg.

“That’s Usopp, I’m Chopper. I noticed that you are favoring that leg. If you show it to me, I can help with whatever’s wrong.”

Unexpectedly, the young man backed away from the reindeer, not because of fear but anxiety. He stammered, “Um, uh… I’m good.”

“Are you sure? It might be nothing bad, but at least let me give you a once over.” The doctor pursued, but the new cook seemed to cower from him even more.

“Chopper, give the guy some space.” Zoro tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the hilt of his well-prized white sword.

“Zoro’s right.” Luffy reassured the young doctor and turned to his new nakama. “I’m Luffy. But for now, let’s eat! It’s dinner time! Can you cook something for us, Rembault? I’m starving. I want to eat a lot of meat!” The captain was basically drooling at the thought of food.

“But you just ate!” Chopper pointed out.

“I’m hungry now!”

“O… okay.” Rembault still looked nervous. He looked around uncertainly. Robin noticed that and offered to help.

“Archeologist Robin. I’ll show you where the kitchen is. We’re stocked, so you can just go ahead and prepare it.”

The two pirates walked off the to galley under the thoughtful watch of the rest of the crew.

 

Dinner defied everyone’s expectation. It included hamburgers, a side of fried vegetables and a fizzy beverage made of tropical fruits. The crew was happy with the food, and even Usopp was slightly mollified. Rembault himself seemed to be at ease in the kitchen and was enjoying himself greatly. He inspected the rack of utensils and found that it was really well equipped.

“Hey, Replacement! Can I have more fried okras?”

“You should stop calling him that, Usopp.” Chopper chided and took a big bite of his second hamburger. The young reindeer moaned.

Rembault sat down to eat with them after catering to Usopp. He asked uncertainly. “Um, who am I replacing, if I may?”

The table fell silent. Only Luffy, who was munching on three sandwiches at a time, answered cheerfully, “Sanji was our cook! He just left this morning.”

“What about you, when did you ran away from that ship?” Franky asked.

The topic of the conversation being turned back to himself, Rembault grew nervous again.

“A few days ago…”

“And you ended up working at the restaurant where you met Luffy and the others?” Nami asked, having finished eating. She only ate one serving, because the good food reminded her too much of someone who was not there.

“Yes…”

“Why are you sailing as a pirate?” The orange-haired navigator tried not to sound too prying, though she was curious.

“Because pirates always have something they need cooked. It doesn’t matter what, I just want to keep cooking in peace.”

“Hey Rembault, do you fight? Are you strong?” The crew sent Luffy icy glares. There was no way a wimp like this man was strong, so that was a ridiculous question. But oblivious as he was, and it was not like him to judge someone from look alone, Luffy looked at the man expectantly. Rembault, however, found that question absurd as well.

“But I’m a cook, why do I have to fight?”

That sentence stuck Zoro. Well, their former cook fought, and they had taken that as a fact. But when this newcomer put it that way, it suddenly made sense: why did a cook have to fight? Was not his duty only to feed the crew? Somehow it dawned on the swordsman just how hard-headed the love-cook was. It was true that a cook did not have to fight, just like a navigator, but the fact that Sanji fought showed that that guy was too stubborn to let others protect him. Then Zoro caught himself. No, he was not going to start making comparisons.

Luffy made a long face. “I see. Too bad.” The Straw Hat captain might be thinking about Sanji as well.

“Pirates are strong… they can protect me, that’s all I need.” That statement seemed to make Rembault uncomfortable, so he tried to explain. “I supposed your last cook was a good fighter?”

“Damn good!” Luffy nodded enthusiastically. Zoro could not help but notice the similarity between this man and the swirly-brow. They were about the same age, with the same height and the same light build. Yet this one had brown hair instead of blond, and this one was too much of a coward. It must have been the resemblance as well as the cooking that had attracted Luffy in the first place. But Zoro clicked his tongue. Remember: no comparison.

“So Rembault, do you want to show me your leg now?” Chopper put his plates away and rinsed his hooves at the sink, before plopping himself down in front of the new cook who avoided his eyes. Rembault did not protest, however, so the young doctor went ahead and rolled up his pants gently.

Then the doctor gasped loudly, which made the others turned to look.

The leg was busted. The skin was perfectly intact, but the new cook was suffering from a severe case of internal hemorrhage. The leg was red and bruised, and somehow gnarled, because the lining of the bones was not right. It looked as if something had shattered the bones to pieces without causing any outer impact. Just looking at it made the crew want to wince.

“What happened to you!?” Choppered panicked. He touched the leg tentatively, not wanting to add more pain to the amount Rembault was already suffering from. “Why didn’t you say something? You must be in a lot of pain!”

“Who did this to you, Rembault?” Luffy was furious and his voice was cold as ice. He was not going to let the new cook get away before he got the answer. Rembault must have sensed this as well, because he chewed on his lips before finally complying.

“The captain on my last ship.”

It seemed like the cook hadn’t finished, so Luffy waited patiently. It was like the calm before the storm, like Luffy on the brink of explosion. With an unsteady voice, Rembault announced the most startling piece information.

“The All Blue… that was the dream of the cook who used to be here as well, right? It was my former captain’s as well. I told him that I didn’t care if it existed or not, as long as there was something to cook, and as long as everybody left me to my cooking. He tried to kill me, so I ran aw…Urgh!”

“Luffy!”

The Straw Hat captain whipped his arm around and shot a punch right in Rembault’s face, knocking him to the floor. Chopper screamed at Luffy and tried to help the injured cook up. Zoro was suddenly uneasy. The swordsman looked at the busted limb and imagined it on the blond cook. So much for the resemblance.

“Tell us everything you know!” Luffy almost threw himself at Rembault, but Franky held him back. Zoro was also on guard, ready to give Luffy a hand at any instant. The rest of the crew were startled by the scene that was unfolding.

“What’s going on?” Nami started to get a bad feeling. But before anything else happened, there was a knocking on the starboard planks — which meant that anything that was hitting the ship had to be hard, like dangerously hard. The crew’s surprise shot up, and everyone hurried out to the deck, leaving Brook and Chopper to guard the suspicious cook.

From deck, the Straw Hats looked down. In the fading light of day, on the dark blue surface was a floating figure. The man was clad in white, though the fabric was worse for wear and dirty. His untamed blond hair was matted to his head; his beard was of the same color, styled into two long braids, one of which appeared crooked. He was heavily knocking on the planks with his wooden peg leg to gain their attention — and that was something, since the Thousand Sunny could hit a rock and only shook a little.

“Oi shitty pirates, the hell are you waiting for? Get me up there!”

The first four members of the crew recognized the man as Red Leg Zeff, of the floating restaurant Baratie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d love to know your thoughts on this story, whether you like it or not. Thank you for reading! ^_^
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and One Piece belong to E. Oda & team.


	4. Chapter 4

There was nothing like a right decision or a wrong decision. In the end, it all boiled down to doing what you could not not do.

That was what Sanji thought as he turned his back on the Thousand Sunny and walked away with Kenyon. The captain looked smug, like someone whose plan went according to his design, though he didn’t open his mouth say anything. The town was equally soundless: whether it reflected his mood or it was yet to waken from its slumber Sanji could not tell. They headed for the White Castle which was docked on the other side of the island, the knife case and suitcase reminding the cook that this departure was for ever.

When the blond cook saw the ship up close for the second time, he realized just how forbidding it was. The white substance gave the ship an unearthly look and nothing announced comfort, unlike the Sunny. There were no visible orange grooves and most possibly no aquariums. The crow’s nest was a bleak and roofless basket, not a walled box, and the utensils in the kitchen would definitely not be where he’d like them to be. The castle-cabin loomed over them and cast a shadow on the deck. Sanji reached for a stick in his pocket and put it between his teeth, though he left it unlit.

Kenyon’s crew were all gathered on deck, as if awaiting their captain’s return with the newcomer. Sanji could see that they were still bruised and bloodied from his one-man raid the previous day, which gave him a quiet satisfaction.

“Where’s Zeff? Let me see him.” The cook demanded coolly, but his hoarse voice betrayed a hint of nervousness. The back of the tall man gave off a formidable feel and distance stretched between them.

“In due time.” His new captain brushed him off and boarded the ship in one jump. Sanji clenched his teeth in frustration and followed quietly. He had known that Kenyon was not going to play fair. As soon as he stepped on board, the White Castle crew turned to regard him lifelessly: nothing was written on their unfeeling faces.

Kenyon settled himself near the mast, close to the center of the assembly. There were about thirty men present, which should be the entirety of the crew on a ship this size, and around the same number Sanji had kicked down. The devil fruit user announced formally and authoritatively, “Fellow pirates, this is Black Leg Sanji, our new ship mate.”

The crew only eyed the blond newcomer without response, their faces steadily expressionless. Were they reliving the fight from the day before, or were they accepting him? Either way, the cook did not really care. He stood by the railing and said “Hi,” casually.

When nobody reacted to his greeting and all continued to look at him with empty eyes, Sanji started to feel unnerved, though he did not let it show.

Well, no fits of tantrums? Not a punch or two? He did kick them down to the last man yesterday, and yet they were not in the least angry? While Sanji had not expected them to embrace him, he had prepared himself to be on the receiving end of frustrations, or animosities even, but what he got was plain cold indifference. With no better explanations, he concluded that this crew was a bunch of idiots.

“Black Leg,” The captain called Sanji’s epithet while he was lost in thought and it snapped him back to reality. There was a glint in the tall man’s dark eyes.

“This is important. Here we live according to one rule: everyone is equal. Break the rule, and you’re in trouble.”

The deck floor creaked and the sound of waves hitting planks echoed in the fresh silence of the day. Kenyon looked at his new cook as if challenging the man to contradict him, but the newcomer only nodded uninterestedly.

“Gotcha.”

“Good.” Kenyon announced, though he did not appear satisfied. He went on to explain life aboard his ship anyway. “We all live in the castle: each of us is allotted a similar living quarter. We also divided tasks fairly, but for now you’ll be in the crow’s nest until lunchtime, keeping watch. You’ll be rotated to something else later, but mostly cooking.”

“Okay.” Sanji chewed at the end of his cigarette, getting bored. This guy sounded like one bossy bastard. The cook didn’t care about ship rules: he only wanted to find Zeff and get away from here. “Can I see the old guy and his old peg leg now?”

Kenyon ignored him. He swept his gaze over his crew and announced the day’s plan. “Now that our mission here is completed, we set sail today. The smith is coming to deliver the cannonballs in about an hour. We’ll leave as soon as we finish loading.”

‘Mission’? Kenyon had threatened to hurt Zeff to make Sanji obey. The man talked as if he was some goal to accomplish, which irritated him to the point that he wanted to strangle the man, though the cook told himself that he’d get back to them later, after he ensured Zeff’s safety.

The crew uttered a unified “Aye, captain!” and dispersed, each to their respective task. Sanji took a step after the retreating captain, but the latter turned back to him and admonished.

“Have patience. You’ll be able to see him soon.” Sanji clicked his tongue. He was torn between rebelling and submitting. He was here only to see that the old man was safe — that was his main objective. However, it appeared that Kenyon was not granting that wish soon, despite his words.

If Kenyon was not going to play fair, then he wouldn’t either. So as Kenyon was not going to bring Zeff to him, then he would go after him on his own. Kenyon had to keep his captive by his side — and that meant on this ship — and there would be time for a thorough search later. The cook finally came up with a plan to seek out the old man, so for the time being, he suppressed his urge to kick the man in the face and stopped in his track.

“To your post now. Off you go.”

The tall man ordered him around as if he had been a child. That made his fingers twitch. Luffy never —.

No. Sanji gritted his teeth. He would not disobey and risk messing up his plan. He had to find Zeff. And quickly. Without another word, the cook turned on his heels and made for the whitish rigs that led up to the crow’s nest made of bones.

Kenyon let his eyes wander after the newcomer. He recognized that rebellious streak at a first glance. The captain smirked.

If breaking someone’s will was what it take to achieve his goal, then so be it. Besides, the man looked like he was desperately asking for troubles as soon as he placed his foot on this ship to begin with.

 

Sanji sat in the crow’s nest smoking his first fix of the day. He pumped his lungs full of the poisonous smoke and exhaled, registering the ashy scent as he blew out. It calmed him down a little. Then he wondered how to describe a cigarette’s taste. It was not tasty. No, food was tasty. Cigarettes were…homey. Yes, they felt like home; like comfort. None of which he had here. He suddenly felt immensely grateful towards the pack in his pocket. It was his only true friend here.

The blond looked over at the morning sea. The quaint, white jolly roger was flapping above his head. He recalled how he used to sit like this under a different flag just the other day. That flag was black and the skull was wearing a straw hat — Usopp’s painting. He had no idea if they had set sail already, or perhaps his beautiful Nami-san was still waiting for everyone to wake up and have breakfast before leaving. That had to be the case. The navigator was always considerate even if she did not like to show it. He caught himself hoping that they’d wash the dishes right after the meal, or else it was going to take hours to scrap the leftover from the plates…

Sanji shook his head to chase the thoughts away. They were no good. All they did was reminding him of the emptiness he felt in his chest. Those guys were not his nakamas anymore: he quitted them. Their wellbeing was as much his concern as the commerce of this town, and of the other interchangeable towns they had left behind.

In fact, being separated from his former crew out of the blue was a shock to him as well, and his composure was only a thin mask that temped to slip every other while. He felt like parts of him were still on the Sunny, minding out for everyone. But suddenness was useful, in that leaving did not hurt as much as it should have — like removing wood splinter from the skin: the faster you got it over with, the more shortly you felt the sting. Only that this sting was on a whole different scale…

No, he needed to focus. Now he had to think about how to find Zeff. Perhaps he should start with the castle…

The sea sparkled with the ripening sun, interrupting the train of this thoughts. He had to squint and turn his eyes away. Sanji looked down to the deck. The smith must have already stopped by with his delivery, because a few men were hefting crates after crates that contained iron spheres on board and taking them to the storage. One of the men was slightly smaller than the rest, and seemed to be handling each crate with effort.

No, wait.

That person wobbled. Immediately, Sanji jumped down from the crow’s nest, bypassing the rigs, and landed gracefully on his feet. He reached the wobbling figure in no time and held out his hands to help support the heavy wooden box just before it fell.

The person looked up, face full of confusion and surprise.

“Who…” Sanji ground out, both eyes hidden behind the curtain of blond hair. He gently eased the crate out of the small hands to support it on his own, before exploding.

“Who the hell let a young and delicate lady handle such a brute work!!!”

To say that Sanji was furious was an understatement. He shot killer glares at the surrounding crew, who averted their gaze. If he had known that there was a lady on board, he would not have let something like this happen! The dark girl was about his age. She had short, wavy hair and fair skin. He’d have recognized the resemblance had he not been blinded by rage.

It was a long walk from the port to the canon ball storage in the hull. For a man, one trip with a crate was already a struggle, and for this lady it must have been worse. She was already panting from the exertion. What made him even angrier was the fact that the crew was made up of a couple dozens of men and yet they were making her, a girl, work on this with only two other people.

The girl gathered herself and reacted sternly. “What are you doing, newcomer? You’re supposed be on watch.”

Sanji solemnly put the heavy crate down at his feet and adjusted his tie. The girl crossed her arms in dismay. When he looked up, however, his face brightened and his eyes turned to hearts.

“My heart bleeds to see you labour under the sun, Mellorine! Please don’t trouble your delicate self with something like this!”

The girl and two other men was taken aback by this sudden change of attitude. They looked at him like he was a freak, though they were still too stunned to say anything. ‘Creepy…’, was the unvoiced general opinion. The girl was the first to recover herself and reasoned, irritated.

“The ship cannot leave if we don’t finish loading.”

“Then I’m here to help you! I’ll do it for you anytime, Mellorine!”

The brunette dismissed him and moved to pick up the crate that had been taken from her.

“You’ll be assigned this task some day. Go back to your task and wait until your turn comes around. You’re in the way, as it is.”

“No need to be shy, missy! I’ll do it. This is nothing. I lifted heavier stuff back on my old ship.” Having said that, Sanji bent down to pick up the box chivalrously. Its look reflected its weight, but the cook did not even stagger. “See? This is a piece of cake. By the way, my most gorgeous Mellorine, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?”

Shadows fell across the blond cook before had time to right himself. When he did not get any answer from the brunette, he looked up and crooked a brow. The two men that were loading the crates were presently towering over him. He remembered kicking one in the face; the other he smashed into the deck floor. Their bruises were still evident. The one with the broken nose pointed out unsocially.

“You are not allowed to do that.”

“What, know her name? How do you call her then?”

“No, you are not allowed to take others’ task. That’s unfair. Like she said, wait for your turn and leave her to it.”

The blond straightened, face dark. He lit himself a cigarette because he couldn’t hold off any longer and spoke evenly.

“You call this fair? This young lady could barely lift a box and almost hurt herself doing so. I refused to let her do this work.”

As it was, a dozen more people had been attracted by the scene and were gathered around them. The other lifting man with a purpled eye put in, unmoved.

“You are disturbing order. Everybody is equal. It’s her turn so she has to do it.”

Sanji snarled, teeth gritting the butt of his cigarette. He planted his legs firmly apart and put his hands in his pants’ pockets, battle ready.

“To hell with order! I’ll teach you how to treat a lady properly.” Bracing himself to sent out a kick, he was caught off guard when the girl stepped up and shoved him. If he hadn’t had the perfect balance he did, he would have fallen on his bum, which had apparently been her intention. The dark girl shouted in his face.

“Back off! It’s none of your business.”

“But…but miss…” Being scolded by the girl, Sanji looked like he was on the verge of tears, his lips quivering. He looked genuinely hurt, just like one would look when one’s proclamation of love was rejected without a shred of consideration. The men were flabbergasted by his quick mood swing, especially when it concerned a woman. The girl was not swayed, though, and shoved him again, this time succeeding in making him fall backward pathetically.

In that instant, the crowd parted to admit a contemptuous Kenyon. The captain’s face was expressionless, though one look at him and anyone could tell that he was boiling.

“Go rest, Mel. He said he’d do it.”

The girl looked as if she was thunderstruck. She whipped around to face the captain and almost screamed. “But brother! That’s not fair for Kist and Staunce. I’ll be taking advantage of them!”

Brother? Now that he knew where to look, Sanji noticed the resemblance between the girl and Kenyon. So she was the captain’s sister. Sanji dusted himself off and got up from the floor with as much grace as he could muster. He put his hands in his pocket, the very image of composure.

“You have thirty other men, captain. Why don’t you have them do it?”

Kenyon smiled indulgently, like he would to a child in a fit. Though when he spoke, his voice was hard.

“They have already had their turns. You insisted on doing this job, so go ahead.” Kenyon paused, and seemed to get an idea. He continued with a malicious grin. Even he hadn’t expected the man to get in trouble _this_ early.

“In fact, Kist, Staunce, both of you could go and rest as well. It’s important for him to understand that one can’t work more or less than others: that’s not how equality works.”

Kenyon turned back to Sanji, this time the smile was completely wiped from his face. “You can’t do everything for Mel, even if you seem to be of that opinion. This is just your stupid ego and pride!”

“Brother, no! This is not what I want!” The captain’s sister begged. But seeing that her brother would not change his mind, Mel turned to Sanji and lashed out at him, hands balled into fists. “You! You cannot do this to me.”

Kenyon interrupted. “Don’t make me say it again, Mel. Go, so he learns.” Kenyon turned his gaze back on the cook, his eyes were hard. “You’ll still have to be on watch afterwards, Black Leg, since that’s your original duty. And finish loading by lunchtime: we have a destination to reach.”

Mel looked sincerely wounded. Her fair face was marred with a frown that Sanji was almost convinced he did something bad by offering help. She said waveringly. “You can’t do this to me, brother… I don’t want to go back to that time again…”

That time? What were they talking about?

The cook caught the hurt in Kenyon’s face, which was also reflected on Mel’s. Sanji did not waste any more second, though, now that Mel was removed from the job. He hefted the crate at his feet up and started towards the stairs that led into the white darkness of the hull.

The captain followed the cook with his eyes. He shook his head and murmured. “The stuck-up fool.”

 

As he entered the storage, the only thought Sanji had in mind while he carried out the task was:

I’m sorry, but I have to do this. Just wait a little longer, shitty old man…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and One Piece belong to E. Oda & team.
> 
> As always, comments are always appreciated! No, let me rephrase: please kindly let me know what you think of the story, if it's not too much... I love the feeling when I read each of your feedbacks at the end of the day! They made me so happy! ^0^


	5. Chapter 5

Moving the crates all by himself proved to be a much more taxing work than he had thought. Even though he was used to moving heavy stuff back on the Sunny, he’d never worked continuously for this long. And then there was always the muscle freak to handle the more demanding jobs for the rest of them, like dropping and lifting the anchor. It took Sanji well over lunch, and as he was not permitted to leave to cook or eat, he had to carry on until every single box was neatly stored. By the time it was over, he was sore and exhausted, and his shoulders were killing him.

But before he had time to take a breather, a chaos followed suit. The port town erupted into an uproar, and the crowd that was the townspeople were headed towards them. These people even brought their own battleship to block the exit from the bay into the high seas, leaving the White Castle no room for escape. Where such a small town kept this large a battleship was a mystery. Now the white ship was hemmed in from both the port and the sea front.

“They’re pirates!!!”

“They raided Shelia-san’s restaurant and kidnapped her cook!”

“Filths!”

The townspeople yelled at them. Among the angry faces Sanji recognised one that belonged to the chef at the local bistro. Their eyes met and the chef noticed him. The man pointed an accusing finger at the blond cook, directing everyone’s attention towards him.

“That’s him!!! I remember him! He was at my place with his captain!!!”

“Captain Kenyon with the 370,000,000 Beli bounty!?”

A woman held up a wanted poster. The man with a self-gratifying smile in the picture was indeed Kenyon. Sanji knew that a pirate captain like Kenyon had to have a bounty set to his head, but he hadn’t foreseen such a large amount.

“The gold is right in front of us!”

“Our town is going to be rich!!!”

Instead of intimidating the people, however, the bounty seemed to have the reverse effect. The locals went into a craze to obtain Kenyon’s head. Some started to throw ropes onto the railings to haul themselves on board.

As the frenzy escalated, Kenyon stepped out of the castle. His face was like storm and he shouted his command. “Raise the sail!”

The battleship opened fire at them, so for the White Castle to be able to escape, it would have to break through the front line. To make the situation worse, bullets started to rain down on the pirates from the port front as well, and a few townsmen had managed to climb onto the ship. Quickly appraising the situation, Kenyon decided.

“On the aggressive!”

And the most unimaginable thing was revealed to Sanji. As soon as Kenyon touched his hands to the mast, the cook could feel that the bone-like substance hardened itself. The ship suddenly became comparably more solid, and it sank down into the sea until the deck was almost level with the tide. The hardening repelled bullets and canon balls, and those that hit left no trace except the quick smudge of gun powder.

Then Kenyon turned back to his crew, his expression serious and without any hint of smugness. He touched his crew as he went among them one by one, and those that had been touched all leapt eagerly either to the firing ship or to the firing people on the port, already knowing what to do. Sanji was kicking a raider in the chest when Kenyon finally stopped in front of him. The captain’s fingers extended out to the cook’s forehead, though not touching. The tall man’s lips curled into his usual self-gratifying smile once again and Sanji realised that he was the last to be touched.

“Time to fight as one of us, Black Leg.”

Sanji regarded the hand apprehensively. He still remembered his fight with Kenyon from the day before. But before he had time to protest, Kenyon’s finger made contact.

The cook felt every single piece of bones in his body shift and creak. They throbbed painfully and he couldn’t hold back a small gasp. It felt as if the bones were adjusting themselves: they became harder and less bendy. He also noticed that his body had grown heavier and it became more difficult to move around. His legs felt as if they were weighted down by iron chains, only that the iron was actually his bones.

“Go make yourself useful.”

Still amazed, Sanji tentatively took a step. The soles of his shoes thumped loudly against the bone-planks. He felt as if he were a freaking giant.

“Why are you stalling? Go!”

Pressed by Kenyon, the cook followed the others towards the battleship. He kicked off from deck and had to be dumbfounded to find himself too high up in the air: his kick had been way more powerful that he had imed. He landed on the enemy’s deck with a loud thud, almost shooting through the planks. Their opponents however wasted no time and immediately launched themselves at him. Immediately, his battle instinct kicked in.

Although Sanji didn’t want to hurt the townspeople, he didn't plan to raise any doubt regarding his loyalty to Kenyon either. He kicked man after man down without reluctance. He unintentionally broke four or five ribs of the first man because he still hadn’t got the hang of his new strength yet. For the second opponent, he clumsily broke both legs because he missed the momentum of his own kick. But he soon got better at it, and beating his opponents down became the easiest thing in the world as it required less force than he’d normally use — he simply had to shove at them with his foot and they were totally knocked out.

It was a strange feeling, fighting alongside the people he’d defeated only the previous day. But this was somehow different. The White Castle crew at that moment was a whole different band of pirates than the wimps that Sanji had fought with. With the enhancement, they were formidably strong. Now Sanji could see how they had been able to do such a number on the Baratie. With this power, they were quite fearsome, and he could very well imagine that the Straw Hats would have to put up a decent fight to hold their ground against this crew.

“Shit, they’re strong!”

“What power!”

“That blond man… he’s a monster!”

The townspeople shared Sanji’s fear, except that fear was directed towards himself. They looked at him in horror. That was when Sanji realised that he had knocked down more men than he had originally intended to. His opponents’ attack slowed and they hesitated to make a move.

Kenyon was also on the battleship front. A dark grin plastered to his face, the merciless captain always aimed directly at his enemy’s neck like he had done in their fight the previous day. He broke neck after neck until bodies littered around him in a wide circle. Against enemies who had no idea what Kenyon’s power was, it was quite easy to catch them unprepared. That was also what had happened to Sanji.

“You…! You beast!”

One of the guys that Sanji ‘pushed’ in the ribs got to his feet tremblingly. He was not out cold from the blow like Sanji had meant for him to be. The man shakily raised his gun and fired a bullet at the blond cook before he had time to react.

On instinct, Sanji moved his arms away from the projectile to keep them safe. The bullet thus made contact with one of his rib …and bounced off, causing no harm, leaving only a small bruise. 

“What…what are you!?” The man was agape, and so was the blond. But before the man could fire another round, someone stomped on his skull, breaking it with a resounding crack.

“What…”

“Quit daydreaming and get real.”

Sanji was flabbergasted from his near miss and the sudden, merciless killing. He looked up to find the stunted man whom he had taken to be captain Kenyon on his first visit to the ship, and who had just somehow kill a man that pointed a gun at him.

“That was unnecessary.” Sanji voiced dazedly. The thick man turned to him with something that could pass for disdain.

“Just kill them or they’ll become a nuisance later.”

“That’s gratuitous. They’re just …folks.”

The man glared at him before grabbing him at the collar. He pulled Sanji down to his eye level.

“Just because you beat us down once does not mean we are afraid of you, even with those legs of yours, Black Leg. We can get even with you any time of the day.” The man looked him intensely in the eyes, seeming as if he’d make good on his words right then and there. But at last he let go and went back to battle, leaving a parting word. “We just don’t… because the captain still needs you.”

So they knew who I was. Sanji thought. They could always gang up on me with Kenyon’s power, that was why they had been so passive. Suddenly he broke into a sweat: he had landed himself on one dangerous ship alright…

 

By the time his watch was over, Sanji was pretty much done in. He was sore from the day’s work, and Kenyon’s enhancement power left a deep weariness in his bones. The power wore off after half an hour, which also explained what became of his neck after the captain had threatened him. It would have been awful if, for the rest of his life, he had had to live with a neck that was so brittle it could break by as little as falling off the bed.

But even as he gingerly climbed down from the rigs, he mind was still occupied with Zeff. How much harm had been inflicted? Where could Kenyon be keeping the old man? He hadn’t had any chance to explore the ship yet. He would do it tonight, even though he was so damn tired. He was too exhausted to even light himself a cigarette, and all he could do now was chew on his lips.

When his feet touched the deck floor, he almost wobbled. He grabbed onto the rigs for support. 

But suddenly his senses were overwhelmed by something else.

It was an aroma. It smelled of rich cream and perfectly boiled potatoes and meat. The scent innocently evoked a far-away memory in his mind. Sanji knew the texture of the meat would be perfect: not too chewy and not too flaky, just the perfect stage where juice and sweetness were released. He could almost visually discern the green onion and paprika that were added to enhance the flavour. And the dried mushrooms that were something extra, to complete the texture. He knew this smell, and it made his mouth water.

His legs regained their strength and took him to where the smell came from. Before he knew it, he was behind the castle, looking at the thick figure that was silhouetted against the backdrop of sunset. The smell came from the bowl in the man’s hand. It seems as if he was about to take his dinner.

The man turned around. His lone braid glinted gold in the setting sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter after forever. Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I still own nothing.


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